Before & After Living Room Pics

Our living room Before (above)

Our Living room After

We replaced our old sofa (that was on its last leg... literally!) with a new sofa & loveseat set. My husband, Joels parents had just bought a new sofa-- so they graciously blessed us with their old set. The new living room set amazingly still looks like new, and they've had it since the late 80's! :)

Since we've been married for the last 7 years, this is the first time that we've had a complete living room set, so we are feeling really blessed right now!

Fruitfulness Of our Words

It speaks in the Bible of "Fruits of the Spirit" and having a fruitful life.

I have been contiplating the "Fruitfulness" of our words & actions in our lives for awhile now. It is common for an individual to speak ill of another in order to build their self esteem up, say things in haste because we didnt think before we spoke, or just out of spite and revenge. Nevertheless, words are hurtful!

Recently, a friend of my 17 year old son's parents said something very unfruitful to their son. They refused to celebrate and acknowledge the date of their son's birthday due to his chosen sexuality. I can't even begin to imagine the effect that it had on this young man.

Instead, I felt in my heart that I would take this young man under my wing and make the day better for him. My son, invited him over, along with a few friends after school & we celebrated his birthday with a pizza party. I wanted so much to undo the effect that his parents had done, after all, this young man sought what we all do.... simple love and acceptance.

It made me think of my own life & the words that I speak. As I prayed one day, I asked the Lord was I being fruitful in my words and actions & to search my heart and to make it clear to me if I wasn't, so I could change course (or repent) of my actions.

The dictionary defines fruitful as:

fruit·ful

adj.
1.
a. Producing fruit.
b. Conducive to productivity; causing to bear in abundance: fruitful soil.
2. Producing something in abundance; prolific: a fruitful author of fiction.
3. Producing results; profitable. See Synonyms at fertile.

Even though I mess up on occasion, I pray that I will think before I speak... and ask myself... are my words "fruitful" to my listener?

It is said that our Thoughts become Words...
Words become actions...
Actions Become Habits...
Habits become character...
and Character becomes our destiny!

I know that I am still work in progress, but I pray these words will pave the way for others to do the same. :) After all, a fire starts with a tiny spark. :) (wink)

Refuse Bitterness

I really liked the devotional that arrived in my email box this morning. So many people carry around grudges, bitterness & unforgiveness in their hearts. By doing this, it puts them (and not the other person that wronged them) in their own personal emotional prison.

Its amazing to me that when we refuse to forgive, that the Lord can't even hear our prayers. Its sad that so many people are missing out on what the Lord wants to bless them with, if only they would release that burden of unforgiveness over to Him.

Sounds like freedom to me & this reminds me to have the Lord search my heart and turn over any offenses to Him & he will right my wrongs! I've learned by personal experience in my walk with the Lord, to be quick to forgive-- cause I know that He has forgiven me first.

Wouldnt the world be a better place, if everyone followed this? I know that it is easier said than done. After all, we are all human & we were born with a sinful nature.

I think by taking the first step of forgiving-- we would be one step closer to the person that the Lord wants us all to be! :) :)


Refuse Bitterness

Today's Scripture

“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice” (Ephesians 4:31 NIV).


Bitterness is an extremely destructive force. It seeps into the depths of your heart when you choose not to forgive someone. When you harbor unforgiveness, it closes the door to God’s working in your life. The Bible even tells us that if we choose not to forgive others, God cannot even hear our prayers.

Thank God that He has empowered us to forgive and release bitterness! You have the choice to get rid of bitterness so you can live in freedom! You may have been through unfair situations, but it’s not over until God says it’s over. God always has the final say, and He is a God of justice. God sees every wrong that’s ever been done to you. He sees every unfair situation. If you will stay in faith and keep your hopes up, He will make your wrongs right.

He’ll bring justice into your life. Your attitude should be, “It may have been unfair. They may have done me wrong. But I refuse to get bitter. I know my time is coming.” As you choose forgiveness and keep your thoughts focused on the Word of God, you will walk in complete freedom in every area of your life!

A Prayer for Today

Heavenly Father, today I refuse bitterness. I refuse to allow the past to keep me stuck. Right now I forgive those who have hurt me. I pray blessing on them, that they would come to know Your Truth. Father, thank You for setting my heart free today. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Those annoying email Chain letters

I get alot of these "Chain emails" in my email box daily. I usually look them up on http://www.snopes.com or http://www.breakthechain.org/ to see if they are legit or not.

The most recent chain email said, if I forwarded onto 8 friends, something good will happen to me in 8 minutes. What the heck??? I just don't understand why forwarding on a chain email will change the way that the Lord already plans to bless me & not because I forwarded on the so called chain email or not???

Here is the what Breakthechain.org has to say:

Don't want the junk!

There are all sorts of junk e-mails floating around the Internet, but perhaps the most offensive is the junk we send each other: bogus virus warnings, urban legends, offers of easy cash, letters that promise to help sick kids... the list goes on.

BreakTheChain.org tries to educate the world that e-mail is an unreliable medium for sharing information and that the first step to reducing the amount of junk out there is to stop sending it yourself. The more junk you send, the more you will get. Don't want the junk!

Sargent Jason Thomas: Sept 11th Hero

I did a little more research on Sgt Thomas after seeing him & his family receive a new home on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. It finally clicked that the Marine in the movie "World Trade Center" was actually Sgt. Thomas. I just wanted to say that the world is a better place, because of people like Sgt Jason Thomas. I wanted to dedicate this blog to the heros that sacrificed alot on the day of 9/11.

Even though the Twin Towers are gone, your kindness & sacrifice will live on in our memories & hearts.

Thank you!

Mystery 9/11 Rescuer Reveals Himself
NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2006

For years, authorities wondered about the identity of a U.S. Marine who appeared at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, helped find a pair of police officers buried in the rubble, then vanished.Even the producers of the new film chronicling the rescue, "World Trade Center," couldn't locate the mystery serviceman, who had given his name only as Sgt. Thomas.The puzzle was finally solved when one Jason Thomas, of Columbus, Ohio, saw a TV commercial for the new movie a few weeks ago as he relaxed on his couch.

His eyes widened as he saw two Marines with flashlights, hunting for survivors atop the smoldering ruins."That's us. That's me!" thought Thomas, who lived in Long Island during the attacks and now works as an officer in Ohio's Supreme Court.Thomas, 32, hesitantly re-emerged last week to recount the role he played in the rescue of Port Authority police officers Will Jimeno and Sgt. John McLoughlin, who were entombed beneath 20 feet of debris when the twin towers collapsed.Back in New York to speak of his experience and visit family, Thomas provided the AP with photographs of himself at ground zero.

As further proof of his identity, the movie's producer, Michael Shamberg, said Thomas and Jimeno have spoken by phone and shared details only the two of them would know. Thomas, who had been out of the Marine Corps about a year, was dropping his daughter off at his mother's Long Island home when she told him planes had struck the towers.

He retrieved his Marine uniform from his truck, sped to Manhattan and had just parked his car when one of the towers collapsed. Thomas ran toward the center of the ash cloud."Someone needed help. It didn't matter who," he said. "I didn't even have a plan. But I have all this training as a Marine, and all I could think was, 'My city is in need.'"Thomas bumped into another ex-Marine, Staff Sgt. David Karnes, and the pair decided to search for survivors

.Carrying little more than flashlights and an infantryman's shovel, they climbed the mountain of debris, skirting dangerous crevasses and shards of red-hot metal, calling out "Is anyone down there? United States Marines!"It was dark before they heard a response. The two crawled into a deep pit to find McLoughlin and Jimeno, injured but alive.Jimeno would spend 13 hours in the pit before he was pulled free. Thomas stayed long enough to see him come up, but left due to exhaustion before McLoughlin, who remained pinned for another nine hours, was retrieved.

Thomas said he returned to ground zero every day for another 2 1/2 weeks to pitch in, then walked away and tried to forget."I didn't want to relive what took place that day," he said. Shamberg said he apologized to Thomas for an inaccuracy in the film: Thomas is black, but the actor cast to portray him, William Mapother, is white.

Filmmakers realized the mistake only after production had begun, Shamberg said.Thomas laughed and gently chided the filmmakers, then politely declined to discuss it further. "I don't want to shed any negativity on what they were trying to show," he said. As for his story, Thomas said he is gradually becoming more comfortable telling it."It's been like therapy," he said.

On the Net:World Trade Center film: http://www.wtcmovie.com/

9-11 Remembrance: A Turning to Good Deeds

I just wanted to share this article--cause I strongly believe that Good will always triump over evil!

In 9/11 remembrance, a turning to good deeds
By Alexandra Marks
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20070910/ts_csm/adogood

Mon Sep 10, 4:00 AM ET

On Sept. 11, Jacob Sundberg of San Antonio has pledged to make eye contact and smile at everyone he meets. Kaitlin Ulrich will bring goody baskets to the police and fire departments in and around Philadelphia. And 100 volunteers from New York – 9/11 firefighters and family members among them – are going to Groesbeck, Texas, to rebuild a house destroyed by a tornado last December.

This is a minute sampling of the hundreds of thousands of people who have pledged to memorialize those killed on 9/11 by doing something good for others.
The heroic acts of all those killed trying to save others that September morning has spawned a growing grass-roots movement. The goal is to ensure that future generations remember not just the horror of the attacks, but also the extraordinary outpouring of humanity during the days, weeks, and months that followed.

"It was the worst possible day imaginable, and in some ways, a remarkable day, too, in the way in which people responded," says David Paine, cofounder of myGoodDeed.org. "We need to rekindle the way we came together in the spirit of 9/11: It would be almost as much a tragedy to lose that lesson."

Sept. 11 has inspired dozens of philanthropic efforts – from groups dedicated to building memorials to foundations designed to improve education in the Middle East. But my GoodDeed has a more universal goal: to turn 9/11 into a day dedicated to doing good – from small, simple things like Lisa Scheive's pledge to help stranded turtles cross the road in Pompano Beach, Fla., to lifesaving efforts, such as John Feal's decision in New York to donate one of his kidneys to help a seriously ill 9/11 worker.

The idea has been endorsed by members of Congress, and at myGoodDeed's urging, President Bush for the first time this year included a call for volunteering in his annual 9/11 proclamation.
After major disasters, Americans have historically tapped a deep reserve of compassion and reached out to others. But in the months and years that follow, those compassionate and civic urges tend to recede. Studies at Harvard's Saguaro Seminar on Civic Engagement in America found that in as few as five months after 9/11, most Americans had gone back to their daily lives and were not more engaged as they said they'd hoped to be. Part of the goal of turning 9/11 into a national day of service is to remind Americans of the inherent joy of giving and to hopefully spur volunteering and charitable acts throughout the year.

"I don't know of any research that's been done on one day of service, but studies have shown that people who do volunteering in high school are more likely to volunteer throughout their lives," says Thomas Sander, executive director of the Saguaro Seminar.

The idea of turning 9/11 into a day of service, charity, and good deeds came from the family and friends of one man: Glenn Winuk, a volunteer fireman and lawyer who worked a block and a half from the World Trade Center. After he helped evacuate his Broadway law offices, he grabbed a medic's bag and ran toward the smoke pouring from the South Tower. That's where his remains were found after the towers fell. Mr. Paine and Glenn's brother Jay had been friends for years. They decided that turning 9/11 into a day of service was best way to memorialize Glenn.

"It completely reflects the way my brother lived his life, and it also specifically reflects how he died," says Mr. Winuk, myGoodDeed.org cofounder. "He laid his life on the line for other people that day."

In 2002, Paine and Winuk sent e-mails to friends and family and suggested they do a good deed, such as donate a day's pay on 9/11. Then the idea evolved, and they founded myGoodDeed.org. In 2004, 100,000 visited their website and pledged to do a good deed on 9/11. This year, those pledging number more than 250,000.

"A lot of people don't know what to do on 9/11," says Paine. "This hits people in their heart and their soul. It connects with something that's fundamental."

Religion vs Christianity